What’s fascinating about this survey is the statement that only 15% of people never cleaned cookies, opting for the cookie to time out or be over written. Cookies are a vital ingredient for any online business which is seeking to improve their targeting and understanding of conversion, campaigns and not least the user journey among a mirad of other many things......
Now I doubt personally if this survey could be regarded as representative of the whole online world, but with security and privacy being the main drivers for all online users - cookie awareness will continue to grow. Consider the outcries from Facebook’s Beacon initiative?
I think it is a major indicator of the decline in cookie adoption and more importantly it raises big questions with regards to our chosen methods of improving targeting online.
Behavioural targeting is a powerful proposition for any online marketer but can its effectiveness be trusted, if user clean out cookies so regularly?
Perhaps it is time for us O M's to think about how to engage our visitors more transparently in the future. Online user are willing to share key information, their likes and dislikes, just take a look at MySpace or Facebook - but only when they want to or they think it will benefit them. So let’s think how we can explain the benefits of cookie tracking for a user?
A cookie category system could be developed, whereby the key components of the cookie are easily understood, not hidden away.
Imagine if when deleting cookies, the cookie contained a read me explaining its purpose, its limitations.
A universal cookie standard could be developed which would enable an easy opt in opt out solution integrated into all browser, so user could easily choose and more important tell the difference between the different cookies and their purpose?
Do your downloads Pause or Stop/Start?
8 months ago
Posts
